Knead dough until it has a sheen (about seven minutes).
Place kneaded dough in bowl, cover, and rise for 40 minutes.

Dust your area with cornmeal and a little extra flour. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll to your preferred length and thinness. (Tip: thinner will be crispier).
Form dough into pretzel shapes and move to a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet. Rise uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degree. Bring a pot of water to boil.

Transfer risen pretzels to boiling water. Boil on one side for two minutes, flip and boil on other side for 1 1/2 minutes.

History of Pretzels:
Trivia lovers will enjoy learning the history of this food.
However, one site visitor challenges the accuracy of the story. According to his email message, both stories ignore the fact that in German the word is bretzel, not pretzel.
The pretzel belongs to a German family of breads that are moistened before baking to give them a chewier texture.